Time
by Star Spangled Lady
Summary: Trip and Malcolm's friendship may be broken beyond repair. But when Enterprise encounters a planet full of rather unique plantlife, they'll find they have all the time they need to repair it. Eventually will be light TR slash.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, nor anything that is a trademarked part of the television show Star Trek: Enterprise. I wish I did, but life is just not that good to me.

**Time**

By The Intrepid Traveler

A/N: This fic may eventually contain or imply T/R Slash, so if you don't like that kind of thing, please don't read. And my other fic, Drifting has been on hold for forever I know, but expect a new chapter very very soon. I just got a little case of writer's block.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The air was light, with a cool breeze blowing over everything as Commander Trip Tucker and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed walked through the forest. The sun was setting over the lush green planet they were currently visiting, casting shadows through the canopy of trees above them. The two Starfleet Officers trudged along silently, their footsteps heavy from the weight on their backs, backpacks carrying a tent and food and supplies. Their path was uneven and uncleared as they walked towards the middle of the forest, surrounded by enormous leafy green trees, tall grasses and hanging vines. While normally they would be overjoyed to be exploring an alien planet, today they were significantly less enthused than usual. After several hard and trying weeks aboard Enterprise, the two had come down to this green paradise to relax and get away from the ship, under orders from Captain Archer. The fact that they had been ordered to relax together was no coincidence either.

Shouts of excitement could be heard in the distance, carrying towards the men on the breeze. The squeals were coming from exo-biologists, who rarely left the ship on away missions and had found a hidden treasure trove of new plant species on the otherwise lifeless planet. The exo-biologists would be taking samples and scans for three days while the two officers camped nearby. For the first time in a long time, Enterprise was involved in a very routine mission of exploration.

For the past several weeks, it had seemed that life would never be as quiet and peaceful as it had once been. Enterprise had been sent to solve a dispute between the Klingons and the Andorians, with both concerned about the other encroaching on their territory. Of course, the Klingons had not cared about, nor wanted, Starfleet involvement, and had, as usual, responded to their attempts to mediate with attacks on their ship and violence. At one point the Klingons had even boarded and attempted to take the ship internally. Several crewmen had died in that attack, and the Klingons had nearly succeeded in their efforts. In the end, the Klingons had been beaten off, with their honour still intact of course. It was simply lucky that war had not been declared at any point during the conflict.

So after weeks of conflict, and then weeks of repairing the nearly-destroyed ship, it had been a blessing when Enterprise had encountered a beautiful lush green Minshara class planet, covered with plant-life, but no signs of other life.

Captain Archer was not going to assign anybody to shore leave though, until he realized that something was wrong with two of his senior officers.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Three days earlier, Captain Jonathan Archer sat at the desk in his ready room, his head in his hands. Funeral services were always difficult, and he had just come from the services for two of his crewman who had died in the Klingon attack. The mood on the ship had been very solemn lately, and today many of the crew had broken down at the service. He had tried hard not to show the crew that he too was overwhelmed by everything that had happened recently, but now, alone in his ready room, he could finally let himself reflect on recent events. His reverie was interrupted by the soft chirp of someone at his door.

"Captain," T'Pol said as she stepped gracefully into his ready room, "I believe that there is a problem with the crew."

"I figured there might be problems, after everything that's been happening lately. What's going on?" the Captain asked.

"While the crew is very tired and in need of shore leave, the problem is more specific than that. It's Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed. Their behaviour has become erratic, and their job performance has suffered. I believe it would be best if you spoke to them." T'Pol replied, seriously. Archer knew that this detached statement was T'Pol's way of saying that she was worried, as much as a Vulcan could be worried.

Archer had seen the two of them at the funeral services. They had seemed fine, if a little stiff and unemotional. Although Trip had had a nasty looking bruise on his face that hadn't been there before...

"Their behaviour has become erratic?" Archer asked. "That's not surprising at all, given the circumstances. They've been working harder than anybody these last few weeks. Erratic how?"

T'Pol paused, and her eyebrow raised and Archer knew that there was something unusual about what she was about to tell him. "According to the Armoury staff, the two of them became involved in an... altercation last week."

"I haven't heard anything about it. What kind of an altercation?" The Captain asked her to repeat herself.

"Mr. Tucker confronted Mr. Reed about several engineering problems which Mr. Reed had contributed to during our conflict with the Klingons. Apparently Mr. Reed's team blew several key engineering systems diverting power to the weapons while we were under attack, and Commander Tucker was very upset. The confrontation became violent, and the two began fighting..."

"Fighting? A fist fight? What the hell were they thinking?" the Captain interrupted, and began pacing.

"Captain..." T'Pol told him calmly. "Lieutenant Reed and Commander Tucker had been involved in several rather loud public arguments before this incident. As well, according to their staffs both of them have been highly irritable recently. They have also been neglecting to sleep and eat, often working double or triple shifts. Their staff have tried speaking to them, as has Doctor Phlox. Even now, they are still highly irritable, especially around each other. I believe that perhaps the two of them should be given shore leave on the planet we've discovered, perhaps they can help the exo-biology team to collect samples. It may help them to resolve their differences."

The Captain sat on his chair with a sigh, realizing that, while shore leave on a planet covered in nothing but plant-life was unconventional, he would have to do something about his senior officers behaviour. Things certainly couldn't continue as they had been.

"OK. That sounds like a good way to handle the situation." he told T'Pol. "Thank you for the advice, T'Pol. I'll speak with them." T'pol left, and the door closed behind her with a soft hiss, leaving Archer alone with his thoughts.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Trip Tucker was mad as hell. He hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, hadn't slept in two days and was not in a good mood to begin with, and Malcolm Reed was really getting on his last nerve. Trip angrily stormed into the Armoury, prepared for battle and not caring if it meant another beating from the smaller man. He was determined to have it out with him. "Malcolm," he yelled towards the Armoury officer, who was leaned over working on the torpedoes nearby. Malcolm didn't look up. "Lieutenant!" Trip yelled, pulling rank, knowing that would get the man's attention.

Finally Malcolm looked up from his station, but he certainly didn't look pleased at being bothered. "Was there a problem, Commander?" he asked coldly. "Or was the last beating I gave you simply not enough?"

An audible gasp was heard, as every person in the Armoury stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to watch the confrontation. They had never heard the polite and quiet Armoury officer ever speak to anyone in such a manner, especially a superior officer.

Commander Tucker's anger dissipated slightly in his shock. But then the anger came back again, full force. "What in the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your goddamned mind, asking for help from engineering to fix your weapons, when you know full well that I've got every person in there pulling double shifts to get this ship running properly again?" He demanded an answer. "I thought we'd settled this. I can't spare any people right now. In fact, maybe some of your armoury staff should come to engineering to help out, seeing as how they are clearly completely incompetent at their jobs here or we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!"

At this comment, shock swept through the room. Several of the Armoury staff slumped down and began to cry, while others gagged and left the room, clearly upset. In his anger, Trip didn't seem to notice the scene he was causing. Malcolm's face contorted, and the people watching suspected that he might begin to cry, but instead they were shocked when he lunged at Trip with a grunt, and the two of them fell to the ground yelling and grabbing at each other, the fight quickly degenerating into scratching and hair-pulling and screaming. Hardly the behaviour of two dignified Starfleet senior officers.

It was of course that moment that the Captain chose to walk through the door.

"Hey!" he yelled at them trying to get their attention, with no success. "Hey!" Several of the other Armoury officers now began trying to pull the pair apart. Begrudgingly, they separated, bloody and battered, still giving each other dirty looks. Archer had no choice but to get tough with the two of them. "My ready room, NOW!" he barked, and quickly turned on his heel and left the room. The two officers followed him slowly out the door, limping from their injuries.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Would one of you please explain to me what in the HELL you were thinking?" Archer asked roughly. "Do you have any idea how serious this is? By all rights I should put the two of you in the brig!"

Archer paced quickly in front of the two raggedy-looking men, pausing every so often to look one of them in the eye, looking very much like a tiger stalking it's prey. He stopped for a moment in front of Malcolm. "And as for you Lieutenant," he told the man harshly, "I could have you stripped of your rank and relieved of your position for assaulting a superior officer."

Malcolm looked horrified at the thought. "Sir, I..." he stammered, but was interrupted.

"Don't worry Malcolm," the Captain reassured him quickly, "I'm not going to do that, but you are just lucky I'm an understanding person."

"Sir?" Trip asked him, perplexed.

As Captain Archer took in his two beaten and torn officers, he noticed for the first time the damage the fight had not been responsible for: dark circles under their eyes, and a thinness to their features that hadn't been there before. He realized that perhaps anger was the wrong approach at that moment. "The two of you have been working very hard lately. Too hard, in fact. This incident proves that."

"Cap'n," Trip cut in, "Everybody's been working hard. Things have been tough, and it's my responsibility to make sure this ship is running right..."

"Not at the cost of your own health, Trip," Archer cut in sympathetically. "Phlox tells me that he's repeatedly threatened to pull both of you off-duty if you continued to overwork yourselves. You've ignored him. So now I'm pulling you off-duty." A groan of protest from Trip interrupted him. "You are both going to take some time off, away from the ship."

"Away from the ship, sir?" asked Malcolm.

"That's right. The two of you are going to help the exo-biology team collect samples on the planet we're currently orbiting."

"We're not exo-biologists, Cap'n." Trip argued.

"You can learn to be." the Captain replied smartly.

"We'd be of much more use on the ship, sir." Malcolm piped in. "What if something were to happen?"

"What's going to happen?" Archer asked with a slight smile. "We're currently orbiting a planet covered in plants. There's not so much as an insect down there."

"You can never be too careful, sir." Malcolm replied solemnly. "I believe that it would be better if we remained aboard. There's still work to be done in the Armoury."

"I don't care about work in the Armoury, Malcolm. You're team can handle it. You're going down to the planet, and that's an order."

"Fine, sir." Malcolm replied solemnly.

"You too, Trip." the Captain told the man.

"Well, OK then." Trip said reluctantly. "I guess I'll go down one day and Malcolm can go the other."

The Captain smirked, knowing that his next piece of news would not go down well. "The two of you will both be going down together for the whole three days." he told them.

"But sir..." Malcolm stuttered.

"C'mon, Cap'n..." Trip complained loudly.

"You will both be taking shore leave for the next three days." Archer told them brusquely. "Together." He gave them a moment to take in the finality of that statement. Wisely, neither of them tried to argue. "Have Phlox take a look at your injuries, and then head back to your quarters. You're both confined there for the rest of the day. Meet the biology team in the shuttle bay tomorrow morning at 0800. Dismissed."

There was nothing left for anybody to say. Trip and Malcolm turned around and left. However, Archer swore that if the door could have slammed shut behind them, it would have.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

And so, here the two of them were, trudging along through the thick underbrush of an ancient and unknown forest, looking for a good place to camp. Tomorrow, they would have a full day of collecting plants, and cataloguing them. Not exactly either of their ideas of fun. As they walked, the silence was deafening. Without the usual noise of birds and insects one would expect in such a beautiful outdoor setting, their walk seemed rather lonely, and each man was lost in his own thoughts. The bruises and cuts from their fights had been repaired by Doctor Phlox, but the emotional damage would not heal quite so quickly. It would take time before they could return to being friends, before they could accept each other's presence again.

As the sun set, the trees swayed in the wind. Behind them, the path the men had cleared slowly filled back in with plant-life, the vines and grasses moving slowly, seeming to follow them to their campsite, creeping towards them with an odd intensity. As the sun set, the planet came alive.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter was written in a bit of a hurry… sorry if the grammar's a bit off. And don't worry… a new chapter of Drifting will be posted very very soon. Promise J

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As the darkness settled in around them, the two came to a clearing in the woods, a small patch of dirt barely big enough to pitch a tent and have a fire and surrounded on all sides by ancient towering trees, their branches casting eerie shadows through the moonlight. They began removing their bags and assembling their camp in tense silence.

As they pitched the tent together, Malcolm tugged hard on the tent pole, so hard in fact that it pulled out of Trip's hand holding it on the other end, and clean out of the tent, causing the tent to collapse.

"What is your problem anyway?" Trip exclaimed, as the clank of the metal poles falling over echoed around them.

"My problem?" Malcolm asked, a scowl coming over his face, "My problem?" He threw the metal pole still in his hand down on the ground hard. "I'm not the one who blames the Armoury staff for what happened to crewmen Allan and Schaeffer. You know, it's not like I asked the Klingons to board us. I didn't say, 'Please, come and destroy our ship! I'll even turn our weapons off for you!'. His voice cracked with emotion as he turned sharply and stalked off towards the forest.

Trip followed, unwilling to let Malcolm escape so easily. "You might as well have," he told the man angrily. "Those Klingons got to Engineering way too quickly. That was two of my men, Malcolm. Two of my team died, because your team didn't think to cover engineering." He was yelling at Malcolm now, his tone venomous.

"Well, Commander, we were a little tied up preventing them from getting to the bridge and taking the ship. And perhaps we wouldn't have as many problems if you kept your team up to date on their security training." Malcolm responded defensively.

"Oh, so now it's my fault. Are you blaming me for the deaths of my people?" Trip was nearly crying, his emotions overcoming him. "They were my friends Malcolm. I saw them everyday. And they were my responsibility."

Malcolm yelled so loud his throat was sore, his voice cracking and tear beginning to well up in his eyes. "I'm not blaming anybody! I'm just trying to figure out why the hell you insist on blaming me." he sobbed. "It's not as if I don't know you're right. You don't think that I feel guilty about what happened? You're right... it is my job to protect this crew, and in this case I failed miserably. I know it, I don't need you to remind me every chance you get!" And he stormed off again, broken, and this time Trip didn't follow. He simply stood and watched him leave.

After a moment, he slowly began to assemble the camp himself, lighting the fire, and sitting by it himself staring into the flames as though hypnotized. He ate alone, and then went to bed alone. It wasn't until much later that he was woken in his sleep by the sounds of Malcolm crawling into the tent and falling asleep in the sleeping bag next to him. The sound of the other man's steady breathing was somehow comforting.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The following morning, the two men walked in an uncomfortable silence through the forest to the site where the exo-biology team had set up their camp, their footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves. After a brief time like this, Trip finally spoke. "Where did you get to last night?" he asked softly. "I was kinda worried." Malcolm looked at him as though he had just gone crazy. "We are on an alien planet. You of all people should agree that caution might be a good idea."

"Caution? This from the man who decided to stick his hands in mysterious alien beads and came back to the ship pregnant. How dare you tell me to be cautious after all the stupid things you've done." Malcolm retorted.

"Stupid things..." blurted Trip, "You know, Malcolm, I was only trying to be nice. It won't happen again."

"Make sure that it doesn't." Malcolm bit back. "I don't need your pity, Commander." He stalked ahead, walking faster so that Trip couldn't catch up to him.

As the man got further away, Trip heard his last comment, thrown over his shoulder. "I went for a damn walk on a planet full of plants. That's it! Are you happy?"

Trip wasn't happy.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The exo-biology team was ready for the two of them, and soon they were off helping to collect samples, and scanning the plants to make a record of their different properties. Malcolm had to admit that while he hadn't expected much from the day, he was rather enjoying himself. The sun was shining, warming him up from head to toe, and the air was crisp and cool in the shade of the imposing trees. And, Malcolm decided, plants were much more fascinating then he would have thought. It had been a long time since he had felt grass and ground beneath his feet, and felt dirt, real dirt, on his hands.

"That one there, Lieutenant." instructed his partner for the day, the perky Lieutenant Howard. She reminded Malcolm of a cheerleader in more ways then one, her shoulder length blonde hair shining in the sun. Malcolm looked where she had instructed and saw a small vine that had what looked like orange strawberries growing in bunches on it. "This one?" he clarified. Lieutenant Howard nodded.

He carefully did as the Lieutenant had shown him earlier in the day, tracing the vine back until he could see where it met the ground, and then using the spade he had been given to dig out the roots, and then transferring the plant into a pot careful not to damage the roots as he did so.

The routine of this was relaxing, and Malcolm allowed himself to enjoy it, and to forget about the torturous past few weeks on the ship, about the way Trip Tucker had been treating him, about his own guilt. 'Maybe the Captain was right,' he thought. 'I think this is just what I needed.'

After he had transferred the plant, he turned over to where Lieutenant Howard was hunched over a plant stiffly, grinning from ear to ear. He cleared his throat to get her attention, and she jumped up, startled.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "You got it! Great!" She came over and began peering at the odd plant in Malcolm's hands. "Fascinating..." she said, lost in a world Malcolm couldn't even begin to comprehend. She scanned the plant slowly, examining the readouts intensely.

"What's so fascinating about it?" he asked, curiously.

"Well, this plant has all the properties of a common fragaria, but it's got the flowers of a vitus plant.

Malcolm was baffled. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"This plant is edible to a human, and it has properties similar to that of a strawberry plant, but it grows more like a tomato." she replied.

"Oh." Malcolm said, not understanding. "What's so special about that then?" he asked.

Lieutenant Howard only looked at him as though he was a small child and clucked her tongue disapprovingly.

A small smile crossed Malcolm's lips at this. He supposed he might be the same way if someone asked him why Phase Cannons were important.

His gaffe was soon forgotten as Howard spotted another plant, and forgot that Malcolm was even there.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Trip smiled slightly to himself as he followed Ensign Roberts, whom he had been assigned to help for the day. He couldn't believe it, but he was actually having a good time. It was such a beautiful day, and he hadn't been off of the ship in such a long time, that he found himself relaxing and letting his mind drift away.

It surprised him that he could relax, seeing as how this little excursion had so far been a complete nightmare. Trip hadn't meant to get so upset with Malcolm, but how could he have known that Malcolm was so upset over the Klingon boarding of the ship? He certainly hadn't shown it. He remembered the funeral, and how he had looked over and Malcolm had not even shed one tear. The man was always so stoic about everything. How could Trip have known that Malcolm felt so guilty?

How could Trip have known that Malcolm was beating himself up inside? And why couldn't the damned man just open up, just a little, and let people know what he was really feeling? Even thinking about it for a second drove Trip crazy.

But, as he followed Ensign Roberts, occasionally stopping to collect a plant and chatting amicably with the man, Trip forgot about Malcolm. He forgot about the repairs on the ship. In fact, he forgot about all of his problems, and enjoyed himself.

He was busy collecting a sample of an odd plant that looked not unlike cauliflower when he heard an odd grunt come from Ensign Roberts. He turned his head and saw the man gazing at a hanging vine intently, as though he thought he could see through it if he simply tried hard enough.

"Find something interesting, Ensign?" he asked, curious.

"Very," Roberts replied. "This vine is very very unusual."

Trip stood up and walked over to examine the vine himself, intrigued. "What do you mean unusual?" he asked.

"Well," replied Roberts, captivated by the plant in front of him, "This plant is similar to a Dicotyledones class. Not unlike a Dionaea."

"Huh?" said Trip, completely lost.

"A Venus Fly Trap" Roberts clarified. "It bears similarities, but the differences are startling."

Trip took a step back from the vine, slightly revolted. "Venus Fly Traps? Aren't those the plants that survive on blood?"

Roberts laughed. "Not blood, Commander," he clarified, "insects. They're carnivorous. But I wouldn't worry about this vine... I said it shares properties with Dionaea, but this plant wouldn't hurt a fly... forgive the pun." The Ensign appeared amused with his own weak joke. "Even if it does bear some resemblance to similar plants on Earth, it wouldn't make any kind of sense would it? No other life has evolved on this planet except for plant-life."

Trip had to admit that this statement was absolute. A plant couldn't have evolved to rely on other life-forms for food when there were no other life forms available. His curiosity satisfied, he returned to the plant he had been collecting, content to leave Ensign Roberts alone with his vine.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Later that evening, Trip met up with Malcolm at their camp, not far from where the exo-biologists had decided to set up for the night. Malcolm was covered head to toe in caked-on dirt and sweat. He was amazed at how exhausted he was. He had no idea that collecting plants could be so tiring, but Lieutenant Howard had insisted on dragging him across half the forest, collecting every plant they saw. All he wanted to do was shower, but given that he didn't have that option currently, he would settle for falling into the tent and passing out.

Trip appeared to have had a similar day, and so the two of them crawled into their tent without speaking, and collapsed.

A moment passed. "Malcolm," Trip asked quietly. "Are you still awake?"

"Mmph." came the half-asleep grunt from the man next to him.

Trip sat up halfway on his elbows and turned around to get a good look at Malcolm. He was out cold, his breathing steady. He poked him in the ribs, and got swatted away. He poked him again. "Malcolm..." he said loudly and close to the sleeping man's ear.

He was rewarded for his efforts as Malcolm's eyes opened and he rolled around until he was practically on top of Trip. "What do you want, Commander?" he asked grumpily.

Now that Trip had gotten Malcolm up, he wasn't entirely sure why he had done it. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. "Ummm..." he stuttered. "How was your day?"

Malcolm looked at him through sleepy eyes as though he had just done something really disgusting. "That's it..." he said harshly. "You woke me up for that? I'm tired Trip... I need to sleep. Goodnight." And he rolled over and went back to sleep.

Trip sat there staring at Malcolm for a moment before making a decision.

"Malcolm," he said, poking the man again, harder this time.

Malcolm sat up so quickly that it made Trip jump. "My day was fine Trip, now will you let me be dammit!" he growled.

"I'm sorry..." Trip muttered.

"S'ok..." Malcolm muttered sleepily as he lied back down, turning on his side so he was facing away from Trip.

Trip felt he had to clarify what he meant. "No, Malcolm... it's not... I-"

He was cut off by a piercing scream coming from the direction of the science team's camp. Malcolm immediately shot up out of his sleeping bag at the sound, and was out of the tent before Trip even had time to react. Trip quickly ran after him, trying to untangle himself from the sleeping bags and tent which slowed him down.

When Malcolm arrived at the other camp, he was greeted by complete chaos. The camp was torn apart, the tent collapsed and the science team's equipment strewn everywhere. But there was no sign of the team.

Malcolm quickly surveyed the site, but was at a loss until another scream, this one clearly from a man, pierced the silence. As he shot off towards the sound, he became aware of another sound... a rustling and crunching noise that seemed to be coming from directly behind him. When he turned around to look, fear ran through him. The plants themselves were following him. He turned and continued running quickly in the direction of the scream, finally coming face to face with a terrified Ensign Roberts.

The man was standing straight up, with hanging vines wrapped around every inch of his body. His feet were slightly off the ground, as the vines crept around his legs, his arms, and his neck pulling tighter and tighter, like a cobra trapping it's prey, while at the same time pulling him apart. They seemed to be coming from every direction. Malcolm knew he had to act quickly, and the forest seemed to close in around him as he stepped towards the horrified man. "I know you're scared Ensign... but I'm going to get you out of this." he whispered softly to the man, hoping he sounded reassuring as the vines began to reach out for him. "Just trust me." He pulled a switchblade from one of his back uniform pockets, flicked it open with a swish and began hacking away at the plants binding the hysterical man. But he knew even as he did it that his efforts were futile. The vines were ensnaring him now as well. He could feel them creeping away from Ensign Roberts, wrapping themselves tightly around his legs and his arm, caressing his back and sides and sending shivers down his spine. But he continued doing everything he could to free the Ensign. As he hacked, he noticed that Roberts had gotten back his presence of mind and was helping him. Soon, Malcolm was almost entirely helpless, at the mercy of the forest, however Roberts had succeeded in getting loose.

"RUN!" Malcolm yelled, as the vines began tightening around him, nearly cutting off the circulation. His breathing was becoming laboured and he knew that it was too late for him... Roberts needed to go and get help.

Malcolm could feel his head becoming light as the vines began to put incredible pressure on him, dragging his weight down towards the ground. As he lost consciousness, Ensign Roberts ran as fast as he could away from the forest, towards the shuttlepod knowing that whatever help he got would come too late.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Trip ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the forest in the direction of the scream, but the forest seemed to be out to get him. He tripped over his own legs several times, and had a hard time keeping his footing, and he knew he would never catch up to Malcolm. What was going on?

As he finally made it to the scientist's camp, panting and covered in sweat and dirt, he saw the destruction there. Fear ran through him as he heard a rustling noise. He couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, it seemed to be all around him. When he looked up, he saw that the forest itself had come alive, with the plants slowly creeping towards him, like an animal stalking prey. He stood, frozen and absorbed in the scene around him until he felt a leafy tendril begin to creep up his leg. Disgusted and terrified, he jerked himself away and ran, not noticing which direction he took, just knowing that he couldn't stay put, that he needed to find Malcolm and they needed to get out of the forest.

He ran, his lungs burning and his legs aching for what felt like an eternity before he suddenly felt something slam into him, pushing him down onto the ground. It was heavy and alive and after a moment he realized it was a person: Lieutenant Howard. She was lying on top of him, soaked in sweat, sobbing and shaking.

"Roberts..." she sobbed incoherently. "The plants... they came, and took him away..."

Hearing the rustling all around them, closing in on them, Trip pushed Howard off of him and quickly pulled her, trembling, to her feet. "We have to run," he whispered. But she wouldn't move. "Now!" he commanded, and yanked her arm hard, and dragged her along behind him as he bolted towards the edge of the forest. She was tired, almost like dead weight, slowing him down, but somehow he managed to pull her far enough to be out of danger. She collapsed on the grass, hysterical. Trip looked up and saw the shuttlepod across the clearing, shining in the moonlight like a beacon of hope. He loped slowly over to it, exhausted and saw that Ensign Roberts was collapsed in front of it, bruised and battered, crying. He had a communicator clutched in his hand like a lifeline, but all that could be heard coming out of it was static.

"Roberts..." Trip said anxiously, "Where's Lieutenant Reed?"

Roberts looked up at him, and Trip's stomach lurched as he saw the devastated look in his eyes. "Where's Malcolm?" he asked again, his tone urgent.

"I called for help..." Roberts said slowly, "But it's too late..."

Trip felt a brief surge of emotion at the man's words. He knew what he had to do, he couldn't leave Malcolm behind. Instinct took over as Trip gathered up all of his strength and bolted for the forest.

Trip ran quickly once he hit the forest, keeping his eyes open for Malcolm, listening carefully for the now-familiar rustling of plant-life crawling around him. He ran for ten or fifteen minutes, dodging errant vines and branches as he went until his foot hit something solid and he went flying, hitting the ground hard. He thought it had been a tree root, but when he looked, he was horrified to see the still of form of Malcolm, almost entirely hidden under layers of thick thorny vines, the same ones he had innocently examined earlier that day with Ensign Roberts. As Trip looked at his friend, barely visible for all the vines covering him, still snaking around him, pulling him tighter and further into the ground, Trip sobbed. This was all wrong. This was supposed to be a vacation.

"Malcolm," Trip whimpered, collapsing on top of his former friend. "Malcolm, wake up." But it was no use. Trip Tucker had failed one of his best friends. Trip trembled, his breathing heavy and lay there while the vines covering Malcolm began to creep up his arms as well, not caring. Soon he was engulfed by the strange plantlife, and he could feel it pushing at him, digging into him. It hurt but he didn't feel it. He was numb. He knew that this would be the end, and somehow he couldn't bring himself to care. As he lost consciousness, his final thought was of Malcolm, and how he would never get the chance to set things right. Then everything went black.

TBC…


End file.
